Poles are commonly used for supporting a variety of tools to access otherwise unaccessible or unreachable areas. For example, poles are frequently used to support rollers in the application of paint, stains, varnishes or other coatings to ceilings and unreachable surfaces. Poles are also used to support a variety of other tools in the performance of other tasks such as dusting, tree pruning and the like.
Conventional tool supporting poles have a generally round cross-section. Alternatively, where additional strength is required of the pole, the round poles are frequently fluted along their length. Because conventional poles are round or fluted, users frequently have a difficult time gripping the poles and maneuvering the tools located at the end of the poles. This difficulty is intensified when the pole has a large length which increases the moment arm that must be supported and maneuvered by the user.
Many poles today are adjustable in length to provide increased flexibility and maneuverability when work needs to be done on surfaces having various heights and distances. To achieve adjustability, the poles generally include a first tube and a second tube telescopically received within the first tube. Once the tubes are telescopically extended or retracted so as to provide the pole with the desired length, the tubes are locked to one another by various means, including twist locks and tab locks.
Twist locks generally consist of a collet having a housing adhesively mounted to the first tube and a round sleeve or chuck which threadably engages the housing to comprise or clamp the collet against the second tube. Pole length adjustment is achieved by twisting or turning the chuck in a first direction to unclamp the collet so as to permit the tubes to be telescopically adjusted relative to one another. Once the pole is at the desired length, the chuck is twisted in a second opposite direction to once again clamp the collet against the second tube. One of the main advantages associated with the conventional twist lock is its ability to lock the first tube relative to the second tube anywhere along the length of the second tube. At the same time, however, threading the chuck onto the collet often requires multiple turns and large torques. Consequently, adjusting the length of the pole is frequently tedious, time consuming and fatiguing.
Tab locks generally consist of a housing adhesively mounted to the first tube and a pin that is pivotally biased towards the second tube. The second tube includes a plurality of spaced holes along its axis for receiving the pin to lock the first tube relative to the second tube. Pole length adjustment is achieved by activating a button, lever or the pin directly to withdraw the pin from one of the holes to enable the tubes to be telescopically adjusted relative to one another. At the desired length, the pin is inserted into a second one of the holes to secure the tubes relative to one another. Although easier to adjust than poles having a twist lock, poles having a tab lock have limited adjustability because the various lengths of the pole are strictly limited to the locations of the holes along the axis of the second tube. In addition, unintended rotation of the second tube relative to the first tube will misalign the pin and the holes to make length adjustment more difficult.
Although both the conventional twist lock and the conventional tab lock effectively lock the tubes relative to one another at a desired length, both the twist lock and the tab lock lack the durability required for many applications. Because the housing of both the twist lock and the tab lock is typically adhesively bonded to the first pole, the housing frequently becomes detached from the first tube upon impact or upon the pole undergoing severe expansion and contraction in response to temperature changes. Detachment of the twist lock or tab lock housing from the first tube renders the locking mechanism, and many times the pole itself useless.
As a result, there is a continuing need for a durable, light weight, tool supporting pole that is easy to grip and maneuver. There is a also a continuing need for an extendable pole that is durable and easy to adjust.